Film holder



March 29, 1949. c. YOUNG 2,465,777

FILM HOLDER Filed Aug. 4, 1947 gwve/Mo v CARL YOUNG Patented Mar. 29, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to film holders.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a novel and improved film holder of cheap and simple construction particularly adapted for use in holding such films as X-ray films for submersion in the liquids of developing tanks during developing operations, the film holder being so constructed that as the film is inserted within, withdrawn from, or held in the developing tank the holder will prevent any portion of the film from coming in contact with the tank walls or partitions.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved film holder particularly adapted for holding long X-ray films in inverted U-sh-ape for immersion into the various baths of developing tanks, the film holder being so constructed that it will act to prevent scraping of the film against the tank walls even though the film being developed is of a considerably greater length than the depth of the developing tank.

Another object is to provide a film holder for holding films of greater length than a developing tank, the film holder being adapted for holding the film while it is immersed in the tank and .the film holder being so constructed that the film can be carried thereby without being scratched and without splashing or throwing liquid out of the tank as the film is inserted within the tank or withdrawn therefrom.

The objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the various views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a film holder of the invention, particularly adapted for use in holding long X-ray films while being developed, the film being indicated in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 as indicated by the arrows, the film being shown in full lines;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2 as is indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 as indicated by the arrows; I

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a film holder of the type shown in Figs. 1 to 4 suspended in one compartment of a standard developing tank, a portion of the tank being broken away; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of another form of the invention employed in conjunction with the holding of a film of ordinary length.

Referring first to the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the film holder there shown includes a pair of inverted U- shaped side frames l formed of strap metal. The lower ends of the side frames 7 are interconnected by a pair of side bars 8 and end bars 80., which end and side bars may be made from a single piece of strap iron spot-welded or otherwise secured to the lower ends of the side frames 1 after being bent to a rectangular form to encompass the lower ends of the side frames. Adjacent their upper ends the two side frames 7 are equipped with inwardly extending inverted U- shaped guides 9. These guides are provided with tabs Set. spot-welded or otherwise secured to the outer faces of the upper portions of the 'U-shaped side frames 7 and the main body portions of the guides are of substantially horseshoe shape and project inwardly beyond the planes of the side frames 7 being spaced downwardly and inwardly from the outer edges of the upper portions of these side frames. The upper ends of the side frames 1 are connected by a u-shaped bar it! having out-turned ends whereby the holder may be gripped. The main portion of this bar I0 is spaced below the upper portions of the guides e and the upstanding arms of the bar are secured as by welding or the like to the upper tabs 9a of the guides 9, the arms ofthe bar Ii], the tabs 9a,

and the upper portions of the side frames 1 being preferably all secured together in a single spotwelding operation. Secured to the inneredges of the side frames 7 intermediate top and bottom ends of the side frames and projecting inwardly from the side frames are peg guides l l. A pair of spring clamping clips 12 are fixed to the inner side of one of the bars 8, While secured to the opposing bar 8, preferably at central points, are a pair of spring rods l3 carrying at their free outer ends approximately opposite the fixed clips I2 other spring gripping clips M.

In Fig. 5 there is shown an ordinary X-ray film developing tank A divided into three compartments I 5, Hi, and l! by cross partitions Id. The various compartments of this tank are of such size as to take a standard X-ray film B of the type shown in Fig. 6 without folding or bending of the film. For certain types of work, however, particularly for use by chiropractors in taking X-ray photographs of the entire spinal column, a very long X-ray film C is employed which is somewhat over twice the length of the standard film B and the film C cannot be inserted in the various compartments of the ordinary developing tank A without bending or looping the film. The particular film holder shown in Figs. 1 to 5 is particularly adapted for use to hold these extra long films C during developing operation permitting the developing of such films in the ordinary developing tank A, which is too shallow to take such a film as the film C without bending or looping the same.

To mount such a long X-ray film as the film C on the film holder shown in Figs. 1 to 5, one end of the film C is first attached to the fixed spring clips l2. The film is then carried over the near intermediate pegs H as viewed in Fig. l and then carried over the horseshoe shape guides 9 and then swung downwardly over the remote guide pins I l, whereupon the clips l4 mounted on the springs rods l3 are engaged with the remaining and then free end of the film C. The spring rods will then cause the film C to be suspended in tautly stretched condition in inverted U-shape on the film holder, and it should be noted that all surfaces of the film when thus suspended will be disposed within the outlines of the holder. In other words, the outer portions of the side frames 1 as well as the two bars 8 will be disposed outwardly of the suspended film C and will act as fenders to prevent contact between the surfaces of the film and the walls or partitions of the tank A when the film holder with film mounted thereon is immersed in the different compartments IS, IS, and ll of the tank A. The horseshoe shaped guides 9 and the peg guides II also space the two branches of the film C from each other preventing contact between the two sections. It is of considerabfe importance that the main cross portion of upper bar Ill be located below the level of the upper portions of horseshoe shaped guides 9 to permit the film, as it is being mounted, from being carried directly over the said cross portion of bar [0 without threading the film below the bar.

The tank A may contain a developing solution in the compartment l5, water in the compartment [6, and a fixing solution in the compartment H. The film C having been suspended on the holder as described, the outturned ends of the bar ill will be grasped and the holder with film carried thereby will be first immersed in the compartment l5, then withdrawn therefrom, then Washed in the compartment l6, then immersed in the compartment ll, then rewashed in the compartment 16. As the film holder is placed in the tank, the edges of the side frames 1 will protect the film so that it cannot scrape the sides or partitions of the same. As the film holder is withdrawn from the tank, the fiuid in the tank, which will barely cover the upper part of the film, will not be caught by the film during upper movement of the holder to draw out or splash out liquid from the tank. The two reversely bent sections of the film cannot contact each other to obliterate any of the film coating. The guides II and 9 have very small bearing on the edge portions of the film and will not work any injury to the main portion of the film.

In Fig. 6 there is shown a holder consisting of the loop-like side frames I9 interconnected adjacent their upper ends by an upper crossbar 29 and interconnected adjacent their lower ends by a lower crossbar 2|. The lower crossbar 2| carries fixed spring clips 22 inwardly disposed from the outer edges of the side frames 19 and the upper crossbar 20 carries spring rods 23 carrying at their free outer ends spring clips 24. The upper crossbar 20 also is equipped with handles for holding and suspending the holder in a tank. With this device a regulation sized film B can be suspended as shown so that the film lays inwardly from the outer edges of the side frames l9 and thus the side frames will protect the film as it is immersed and withdrawn from the tank A during the developing operation.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, .details, arrangement, and proportions of the various parts without departure from the scope of the present invention, which, generally stated, consists in the matter shown and described, and set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A film holder comprising a pair of upwardly extending inverted U-shaped side frames, a bar running across between said side frames adjacent the upper portions thereof in spaced relation below the upper edges of said side frames, a pair of lower bars interconnecting the lower ends of said side frames, arcuate inturned guides provided adjacent the upper portions of said side frames and spaced inwardly from the outer edges of the side frames, a pair of spring clips secured to one of said lower bars and disposed inwardly from the outer edges of said side frames, and a pair of spring clips attached to the other lower bar and disposed inwardly from the outer edges of said side frames whereby one end of a film may be secured to the first mentioned clips and the film can thereafter be carried over said arcuate guides and thence downwardly to be attached at its other end to said second mentioned spring clips and the film will be held tautly stretched on the holder with all surfaces of the film inwardly disposed from the outer edges of the side frames permitting the side frames to act as fenders to prevent injury to the film during the developing operation.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 and guide pins intermediate the upper and lower portions of said side frames and disposed inwardly from the outer edges thereof and over which intermediate portions of the film may be carried.

3. The structure defined in claim 1 and resilient means mounting said second mentioned spring clips to tension a film mounted on the holder.

CARL YOUNG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,299,779 Wolf Oct. 27, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 24,451 Sweden Apr. 4, 1908 544,184 France June 16, 1922 618,399 France Dec. 13, 1926 830,732 France May 23, 1938 

